The Torah, “Leviticus,” Acharei Mot, 18:20: And unto the wife of thy neighbor thou dost not give thy seed of copulation, to defile thyself with her.

“The wife of thy neighbor” is a Kli (vessel), the desire with which I am not able to perform an action of bestowal. This is beyond my ability.

There are situations when a person is unable to think about the correct intention. Say, I am dying of hunger when a tasty dish has been placed in front of me. At this time am I really able to think about the fact that I am fortifying myself in order to bestow all my strength for the benefit of my neighbor?

In the corporeal world of course, I can pretend that I am supposedly busy thinking about bestowal. But in the spiritual world, “supposedly” does not exist. Everything is distinct: There is a degree to which one can control oneself, and a degree below which it is impossible to hold back. And so it is in everything.

This applies to all pleasures: food, sex, family, money, power, honor, knowledge. A person always has a certain threshold under which he can restrain himself. If you put $100 in front of me and I know that my entire life depends on it, I will not be able to help myself, I will take it. That is our nature, which puts us at the mercy of some circumstances.

And I need to know my nature, because in the system of ascending from below upwards, I study myself, raising my moral level not through the brainwashing accepted in our world or through pumping myself with all kinds of ideas, but through the help of connection to the upper system.

If I rise to the first degree, then no matter who I am, I will not be able to carry out here that which I will be capable of in the second degree. Everything happens so precisely that each degree can be numbered in accordance with what can be done on it and what can not.

So it is written here about the conditions in which I have to work if I reach the level described in this specific chapter of the Torah. Previous chapters do not yet mention it, and the following ones will not discuss it further. So at this given level, I need to correct such inner properties in myself that will allow me to secure myself against mistakes on this degree.

Question:What does it mean “And unto the wife of thy neighbor thou dost not give thy seed of copulation?”

Answer:This means that at a lower degree if I came across such property as “the wife of my neighbor,” I would have surely used it.

But on this degree, whenever I encounter it, I must make a correction so I will not get into contacts that would lead me in a completely different direction, because then I wouldn’t be able to ascend.

And so it is on every degree! This is the work of the whole system. By correcting himself internally, a person ascends higher and higher each time. In our world there are no analogues to such corrections. These are neither moral, nor ethical, nor aesthetic forms. It becomes our inner nature.

Rising to the next degree means drawing the Upper Light to myself, which will correct me to such an extent that I will be able to rise to the level of the next degree. Then I will absolutely be able to use the previous degree correctly.

At the level of the material world around us, however, there is no manifestation that I might not disturb; I cannot do anything correctly. In other words, only the ascent to the next degree gives me the assurance that from this point on, the previous degree is absolutely right for me and that I will act correctly.

I use the lower degree in order to rise to the upper one, and it becomes my place of work. I evoke the Upper Light on myself, which gradually influences me, leading me through various chaotic states, their analyses and syntheses, until finally it accumulates to such a quantity and quality that it lifts me to the next level.

Through this, I fully establish the previous degree as corrected and I can be confident that I will never fall into it. Therefore, every part of the Torah refers to some specific degrees, moreover, with the same words as in several previous chapters. Yet, while they may be similar, there are no repetitions, because each time it is written about the next degree.

This is why we need to know which chapter of the Torah this excerpt comes from, from which section, or, in other words, on which degree it is taking place. The Torah includes the complete sequence of our ascent to the full correction of the soul.[145891]From KabTV’s “Secrets of the Eternal Book” 3/19/14

Answer: A Kabbalist feels our life only as a means of entry into a higher dimension and rising on the ladder of spiritual degrees.

Everything that exists in our world and in it life itself are just a condition for further spiritual elevation. Therefore, a Kabbalist relates to our world in a practical, clear, strict way.

Of course, he can enjoy all the material things: music, literature, art, nature, etc. But inside of him, there is always a very clear directive: I do it in order to advance in the attainment of the higher world. He feels all the fragility, insignificance, and illusion of our world, and understands that it arises in his mind on purpose.

Just like the pictures that we see on the computer screen are nothing but electric signals that create images on the plasma, in the same way, various human feelings are only electric signals, nothing more. A Kabbalists understands the illusion of any material feeling: either positive or negative. He sees that all that surrounds us exists only in our perception, within us.

Therefore, he has no fear of death. He knows that his physical body must die, but the attainment of the upper world, the so-called the soul, will exist to the extent that it has been corrected while still in the body and can continue its correction further.[146681]From KabTV’s “Short Stories” 10/22/14

Question: Why is the wisdom of Kabbalah called a secret wisdom? What is the hidden work of a Kabbalist?

Answer: The practical work of a Kabbalist amounts to this: he can go up and down in the levels of his ego or bestowal like in an elevator.

He can descend from the bottom floor down into the ego and then he can rise to the ground floor and begin to climb up the 125 steps.

Together with this, all kinds of inner changes happen in a person. He has the opportunity to rise from the level of a child to the level of a youth, an adult, or an old man, and after that he can consistently descend back to each one of these levels to the lowest.

In ascent or descent on the Kabbalistic ladder, it is possible to change all kinds of parameters and characteristics within you, to sort and switch them within yourself. We are as if programmers, directing ourselves, and every time we see the world in the same cut and style specifically towards which we aim. And this these are called the secret practices of the Kabbalist.

When we are found within the framework of our world, we can travel in time, space, and worlds according to the timeline; we can find ourselves in the era of the dinosaurs and watch all of these states among us.

The great Kabbalist Baal HaSulam described the history of the creation of planet Earth and all the periods of its formation in his writings. But he could do this, not because he studied geology, but because he saw all of these states.

It was not difficult for him to enter them. It was as if he took binoculars, a microscope, or telescope, and according to his personal internal instruments, he correctly directed himself to see and attain every era.

This amounts to the so-called secret Kabbalistic practices. In fact they are not secret, but the Kabbalist cannot convey them to others. He can only use them himself because they are his inner characteristics. Everyone can learn to expand the range of his inner vision if he would methodically and seriously become involved in the wisdom of Kabbalah and transform himself into a Kabbalist.

So by directing himself correctly, he can go out of himself and travel above our world, in all aspects of creation. For our world is the smallest, insignificant and gray, and according to the wisdom of Kabbalah, exists only in our uncorrected perception and imagination.[146676]From KabTV’s “Short Stories” 10/22/14

Answer: This ascent makes it possible to truly connect with all of nature.

When standing on the summit of Mount Everest, a person sees himself as a great and strong conqueror having attained his goal. An egoistic longing for control has been satisfied. Now he will have something to talk about and remember. And what is next?—Nothing. Now he begins the descent.

Spiritual ascent is completely different. Here the mountain (Har – הר) means doubt (Hirhurim – הרהורים). I am full of doubts and I debate whether to ascend or not, whether to overcome or not. This is a complete process. To be able to move through it, we have been given the wisdom of Kabbalah. It is a guide that will help us.

It is important to understand that I rise above our world, above the universe, above everything. Then I look at the Earth and see all of it, all of nature, all of the mechanisms and interrelationships within it that cannot be disconnected. In the moon and the sun, the stars, our galaxy, and everywhere, I see threads of connection and begin to feel true wholeness. But I don’t control any of it. I identify with it all, and I connect to the system.

So it is impossible to compare this adventure with anything. After all, we attain a wholeness not found on any of the summits on the face of the Earth or depths of the oceans.

Question: Doesn’t a climber, when he climbs a mountain, overcome himself and then look at the world from a height above the whole world? The idea here is that he doesn’t just physically conquer the summit. Exactly how does this overcoming differ from spiritual overcoming?

Answer: Every athlete must overcome himself when leaping to a new height, rushing to a finish line, lifting a weight. Even in ordinary life, I must overcome various difficulties and continue on at every moment. This is a natural state for us.

But in spirituality, overcoming is not directed against nature but with it, adding balance, unity, and connection between me and all of nature at every moment. So while I advance in this direction, I am never get into trouble, I ‘m not buried under an avalanche, or drown in a turbulent river.

On the contrary, I discover that nature is more and more dear to me because I approach it and connect with all of its levels of the still, vegetative, animate, and speaking. Specifically, the main thing here is the human (speaking) level, where I must reach the state of loving others as myself.

So it follows that in such a manner I reach new forms of connection and have nothing more to fear. No disaster will ever happen to me, I will never cause damage, to myself , to others, or to humanity as a whole. This is the way to balance and harmony, despite the heroism of everyone who surmounts mountain peaks and descends to the depths of the oceans. Their overcoming them, it is essentially an aspiration to control, which is the characteristic of Pharaoh.

Question: In what manner are disasters prevented?

Answer: Due to equilibrium. Humans are the highest link in nature, so if they create balance, then all of nature is in balance. On the contrary, if a person creates imbalance, then the lack of balance that he creates in nature ultimately harms the person himself more than anything else.

Question: How exactly does a person create balance?

Answer:This is through the desire that all of human society will dwell in balance. Here participation, connection, equality, and mutual concern are required. It is when the whole world becomes one loving family. Without a doubt, balance between people will lead to the right attitude towards all of nature.

And then we attain its comprehensive power, the formula for harmony that penetrates it, the universal law of all of nature. We attain “there is none else beside Him” and that “He is the good and beneficent.” We identify with this overall energy of the entire system and we attain it in its wholeness. This is the goal of our development.

We must reach this in the coming years with the help of the wisdom of Kabbalah. I am sure that this will happen soon, and hopefully in the best way.[146356]From KabTV’s “A New Life” 10/21/14

Question: One of the common phenomena among youth is the constant updating of their status in social networks. The more often I post my pictures, the more friends I have. These actions are seemingly an expression of a tendency to connect, but in fact, it is a process for its own sake.

Answer: Since a desire for connection has been awakened in people, they feel an attraction to communications media. In the meantime, this process is in a transitory phase because they don’t know how to utilize these tools correctly. Their desire has not been examined enough, is not yet ripe, and communications media are still not compatible with the right needs and demands that are being discovered.

When we begin to mold a connection between us like a virtual “Tamagotchi” into which everyone contributes his concern, warmth, and beauty, then we will feel our lives are found precisely there within this connection. Our bodies are here, and my consciousness, my true self, is there.

Answer: Clearly, plastic remains plastic. Whereas a human level exists above me and is greater than I am. From that I receive a million times more than I invest. Moreover, I don’t stay in my place, but with my soul, I am found there, in connection with everyone. And we are not just many, but together we become something that melts and becomes one body.

From many parts, thanks to the warmth between them, one body is created. And everyone receives the awareness, understanding, feeling, and warmth of everyone. The new level of existence of humanity is like this. And I hope that communications media will help us attain it as quickly as possible.[146826]From the program “A New Life” 2/12/14

Question:Israelis love adventure. Many of them travel to the ends of the earth to hike along the “extreme” trails. They love the call of nature, whether chilling rafting or even trekking in the Annapurna Circuit, not the most dangerous tourist trails, which suddenly became a tragedy as recently reported in the news.

In general people try to subdue nature, to reach its summits figuratively and literally, which can even cost them their lives. Where does this desire come from?

Answer: There are truly those who are very attracted to the challenges of nature. For example, someone really feels that he must cross the ocean on a frail raft or sail around the world.

The awareness and conquest of nature gives a person a sensation of inner satisfaction. Despite the difficult obstacles on the way, nature doesn’t exhaust us mentally, but on the contrary, it fulfills, renews, heals, and revives us. After all, we are physically its children, and only in our development on a human level do we move away from it and want to be above it.

Regarding journeys and adventures, I suppose that no nation can compare to Israelis in the number of tourists going on extreme expeditions, in “escapes from civilization” or in the timeless penetration into places where one can test oneself through nature. You can run into Israelis at all ends of the earth, and sometimes it is difficult for people to believe that our [Israel’s] population totals only six million.

This impulse is the result of the nation being very small but with very developed desire. We want to know and to feel more. Yet in principle, people are satisfied with a trip to Paris or London, and yet it is a deeply rooted desire. We want to know about the world we live in, and through it, the higher reality, the force that manages the world.

This drive is rooted in us, since in the past we touched the universal force. We built a connection with it and the entire system of creation. And now, this memory called a Reshimo(reminiscence) of the wisdom of Kabbalah, is latent in us and awakens us to aspire to that connection.

So looking at the modern adventures of Israelis responding to the call of nature, I see this as a transitional stage that will ultimately awaken us to a recognition of nature, not only in breadth but also in depth.

With the passage of time, people will understand that there is nothing special about these tours; they are pretty empty, devoid of content. Instead of becoming familiar with waterfalls and exotic shops—although this has its charm—one can become familiar with the mighty global system of nature that rests upon a higher, divine harmony.

To become familiar with this system, to be integrated within it, is truly a wonderful pleasure. The development of humanity leads to this, and we hope that there isn’t much more to do until then.

So in searching for new paths, people will turn to a new guide: the wisdom of Kabbalah.

Question: In other words, it is possible to replace the challenges associated with physical dangers with something else?

Answer:Yes, this is in spiritual challenges, journeys of the soul and elevations to spiritual peaks. This is an incredible adventure, yet it requires more courage and heroism than climbing in the Himalayas. Because when a climber ascends Mount Everest, he in fact satisfies his ego, going hand in hand with his inner egoistic drive. here he has to struggle with himself in his ascent to the spiritual peak.

This spectacular summit opens before him an infinite world and an endless life. It reveals areas of nature that are not found in our dimension. However, in order to get there, a person must change his foundation, work against his ego, leaving the mountain of his nature below him by hating it.

Mountain climbers also rise above themselves, experiencing a type of hatred towards the mountain they are climbing and want to conquer. This partially reminds one of spiritual ascent in which I must conquer the mountain of my ego, hate it, yet not so much that it will be nullified. Instead it will be possible to rise above it. For me, this is the greatest challenge.

It is hoped that people will understand what wonderful treks await them, what dazzling peaks assure them of adventure, so that they cannot be compared to what mother Earth can offer.

Indeed, I have not conquered 8,000 meter high mountains, but during my life I have seen just about all the wonders of the world. I can say that the adventure that we experience when we conquer the mountains within us is much more wonderful than that.[146349]From KabTV’s “A New Life” 10/21/14